A popular drug used to reduce the risk for heart disease has allegedly left many women with a dangerous chronic condition that will last for a lifetime.

Over the past year, over 100 Lipitor lawsuits have been filed by women alleging the cholesterol drug caused them to develop type-2 diabetes. It is estimated in some Lipitor lawsuits that the drug has caused a national epidemic of the disease, and potentially affected thousands of women.

According to one recent Lipitor lawsuit, filed by plaintiff Ginger Wills, Pfizer knew about this potential risk but failed to include in Lipitor’s drug warning until it was too late.

Wills began taking Lipitor to reduce her LDL cholesterol levels beginning in 2000 and 2007, yet was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in April 2006. Type-2 diabetes is a potential side effect of Lipitor, yet the drug carried no warning of this risk until 2012. Had Pfizer “properly disclosed the risks associated with Lipitor … [she] would have avoided the risk of diabetes by either not using Lipitor at all or by closely monitoring her blood glucose levels,” Wills’ Lipitor lawsuit says.

The Lipitor diabetes lawsuit cites scientific assertions regarding the effects of Lipitor on glucose enzyme activity compared to the length of time that the drug is active. The half-life of the LDL cholesterol treatment is reportedly 14 hours, while the effect on the enzyme is twice as long, meaning that the effect increases because a woman needs to take Lipitor on a regular basis.

The first count in the Lipitor lawsuit is failure to warn, including due to the “defective condition” of the statin drug “due in part to the fact that it was not accompanied by proper warnings regarding the possible side effect of developing diabetes as a result of its use.” Had the company performed testing, Wills’ Lipitor lawsuit alleges it would have shown the likelihood of issues with blood sugar levels.

Instead, the Lipitor type-2 diabetes side effects victim notes that it was not until 2012 that Pfizer did add a warning, noting that “Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including Lipitor.” However, there are questions as to whether or not that provides adequate warning of the risk for the condition, according to Wills.

The Lipitor type-2 diabetes lawsuit is Ginger Wills v. Pfizer, Inc., Case No. 14-cv-6973, U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia. Other counts against the drug maker include negligence, breach of implied warranty and fraud, among others.